ATLANTA, GA. (October 13, 2020) – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (“the SIAC) and Academy Sports + Outdoors (“Academy”), a leading sport, outdoor and recreation lifestyle retailer, today announced a new partnership which will make Academy the Official Sporting Goods and Outdoor Retailer of the SIAC.

“We are very pleased to announce this exciting new partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors,” remarked SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. “Both Academy and the SIAC share a common vision of encouraging more boys and girls to participate in youth sports – most particularly participation in many underrepresented non-traditional sports. We are confident that working together this partnership will meaningfully advance that important objective.”

The multi-year partnership is an opportunity for the SIAC and Academy to build meaningful community initiatives with a focus on grassroots programming that includes youth outreach and mentorship programs. The new partnership provides Academy an opportunity to elevate the HBCU experience and exposure to a passionate SIAC fan base that is located in established markets.

“The SIAC conference has a storied athletic history, due to the strong competition between its member schools and its passionate fan base,” said Lawrence Lobpries, Academy Sports + Outdoors’ senior vice president of marketing. “We are proud and excited to bring new, fun initiatives and mentorship programs to the SIAC and its schools through this partnership.”

About the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 14 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous six-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.

About Academy Sports + Outdoors
Academy is one of the leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailers in the United States.  Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 259 stores across 16 contiguous states, primarily in the southern United States.  Academy's mission is to provide "Fun for All" and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers.  Academy's product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of 17 private label brands, which go well beyond traditional sporting goods and apparel offerings.